Flower Buds
by TossAndTurn
Summary: Tatiana Cole had been bullied before moving out of the country. Now that she has returned for her fifth year, will she be able to stand on her own or crumble again. A story of finding courage. A rough work in progress.


I haven't written a Fanfic in a really long time. Constructive criticism is completely welcome along with comments.  
>We all know I don't own Marcus Flint or anything Harry Potter related. I only own my characters and their silly little personalities.<p>

* * *

><p>It would be raining on her first day back. Tears fell from the clouds, pelting against the windows of the train as it continued towards its destination. Tatiana Cole sat in one of the Hogwarts Express cars next to a second year Ravenclaw. The girl had nodded off and left Tatiana to her thoughts as she watched the rain obscure her vision to the outside. She was thankful to have some peace and quiet after rushing to board. Her family never had been one to keep aware of the time and she was no better than the rest of them.<p>

The Cole family had made the move to America when Tatiana would be entering her third year at Hogwarts. Although it pained her to not see her fellow Hufflepuff's in the opening ceremony, Tatiana was ready to leave England behind. She had loved Hogwarts, but there were some things that she couldn't handle at the tender age of thirteen.

Before her grandfather married her grandmother the Cole family lineage was pure. They gave birth to a muggle son who married a muggle woman. Eric and Juliana Cole were surprised to have given birth to a witch and a wizard. Apparently, the rest of the wizarding world was not as overjoyed as their parents would have hoped. When Tatiana came to Hogwarts she would come to understand why her brother was often creating mischief for some Slytherin children. Quite a few of the Pureblooded Slytherins knew about their family history and wouldn't let it go. Julius Cole, Tatiana's older brother, had graduated when she was in her first year. Her second year was hell and she had become the target of her brother's enemies.

There had been one boy that had truly tortured her. Often the Slytherin had brought some of his cronies along with him to bump her into the walls or trip her while she carried her books. Although it didn't seem like much, it was the verbal jabs that did the most damage. They had made fun of her weight, laughed at her haircut, and often loudly discussed how she was worthless because her blood made her inferior. By the end of the year Tatiana was often hauled up in her dormitory in tears. She had been thankful for the chance to run.

Tatiana snapped back to reality as the door opened to the car. She pushed her memories aside and smiled at the first years that stumbled in. A blonde girl and boy sheepishly looked at her before slipping into their seats quietly. The Ravenclaw girl beside Tatiana had awoken when the kid's bulky luggage hit the floor with a thud. When she noticed the three people around her the girl began to blush and then hurried out the door, tripping over the bags as she went. The wide eyed blondes looked towards their elder and she could only shrug her shoulders and let out a small chuckle.

"My name is Tatiana. What are your names?" Tatiana asked, nodding towards the two siblings. They looked at each other as if they had forgotten how to speak. She understood that they were nervous though, she would have been nervous too if she were new and had to talk to a fifth year.

"I'm Liam Scroggs." The boy spoke a little louder than he had wanted to. "This is Ariel, she's my twin." His voice was a little calmer as he introduced his sister. She waved a pale hand to say hello before burying her head in a book that she had brought along.

"It's nice to meet you both." When the silence fell on the car again, Tatiana felt slightly awkward. "Are you excited for your first year?" It was the only way to break the ice.

"Yeah, I've been told a ton of stories by my older brother!" Liam's blue eyes lit up as he began to explain the silly things he had heard from his older brother. A lot of it had obviously been embellished, but Tatiana nodded politely until the door slammed open again.

A raven haired boy of at least seventeen stood in the doorway. His gray eyes squinted down at the Scrogg twins in disgust as he leaned his large frame against the doorway. Behind him stood another tall boy that looked pleased with the reaction to the interruption. A chill ran up Tatiana's spine as she recognized the bully from two years ago. Marcus Flint looked like he was in a very irate mood.

"Get up you little brats, we want a seat." His voice was rougher than she remembered, but Tatiana knew it was him. The looks on the little blonde's faces were that of fear and confusion. As Marcus' boot clad foot went to kick at the luggage on the floor, Tatiana's leg intercepted the blow. She could feel his icy stare on her as she stood up with her bags. With her head bowed down and dark brown hair obscuring her face, Tatiana grabbed her bags and stood. The other boy grabbed the seat while Marcus continued to lean against the doorframe.

As she passed the tall teen she couldn't help but burn with embarrassment. She didn't want trouble for the Scrogg twins already and she certainly didn't want to begin her year being harassed. He continued to watch her go down the hall and into another car. The people already inside had stared at Tatiana as she sat quietly in an empty space, but resumed their chatter after a few seconds. Tatiana Cole had returned to Hogwarts because she thought she was strong enough to handle the bullying. He hadn't even done anything to her and she was already bowing down. What the hell was she doing?


End file.
